Sheila Boland @SheilaBoland2 - Twitter Profile

Let me tell you about Michael Morton. He was just a regular guy, an American husband, a father to a five-year-old son, and an office worker. He lived in the suburbs of Austin, Texas. In August 1986, Michael came home to find police officers all over his house. His wife had been murdered, beaten with a baseball bat and covered with a pillow. The day before, they had celebrated their wedding anniversary. That morning, Michael had left for work at 5:30 a.m. and left a note saying he loved her but was disappointed that they hadn’t been intimate the night before. The police focused on Michael as their suspect. They said he killed his wife because she refused to have sex. He had never been in trouble with the law, not even a speeding ticket. Still, he was arrested, charged with murder, and sent to prison. He lost custody of his son, who was told that his father had killed his mother. Michael spent 25 years in prison. He was offered parole if he admitted guilt, but he refused, saying the only thing he had left was his innocence. There was important evidence, a bloodstained bandana found in an alley near the crime scene. Michael’s defense team asked for it to be tested, even offering to pay for it, but the district attorney refused. They had to fight in court to get permission. When the test was finally done, the blood on the bandana belonged to a different man, a recently released criminal. As they kept digging, they found even more shocking evidence. Other women in Austin had been murdered the same way after Michael was already in prison. Michael’s wife’s credit card had been used after her death, while Michael was locked up. Then, another hidden piece of evidence came to light. Michael’s mother-in-law had spoken with her grandson (Michael’s son) about the murder. She asked him who killed his mom, and the little boy said, “A monster.” When she asked if the monster was his father, the boy replied, “He’s not my father.” This statement was kept secret from Michael and his lawyers. Finally, DNA from another Austin murder was tested, and it matched the blood from the bandana. After 25 years, Michael was finally released. At a court hearing, the judge apologized for the terrible injustice he had suffered. The real killer was later charged with two murders. And what happened to the prosecutor who hid the evidence? He was promoted to a judge. Eventually, he lost his law license and was sentenced to jail, but only for ten days. Michael wrote a book about his experience called Getting Life (2014). Because of what happened to him, Texas changed its laws. On May 16, 2013, Governor Rick Perry signed the Michael Morton Law, which requires prosecutors to share all evidence in a case to prevent wrongful convictions like Michael’s. What a painful experience😭😭😭